James 1:22 (King James Version)
22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
PARAPHRASED: But begin to be one who obeys the law of Jesus Christ, and not just consider what has been said alone, cheating by false reasoning your own selves.
MEANING: The first part of this verse “But be ye doers of the word” makes a number of points: to be a “doer of the word” is a direct commandment from God. The word “doer” is an action word that means: a maker, producer, performer, one who obeys the law, & to acquire.
You see if one does not first acquire the word of God, which is salvation in Jesus Christ, then nothing else matters; life is just wasted space without Christ. You can give all that you own to the poor; be the best friend that you could ever be; sacrifice your life for another; and so on. None of this will matter, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal savior!
If you acquire the word of God, then you have to learn how to prepare yourself to perform & obey the word of God. This is why reading & STUDYING God’s word is essential. How can we ever know how to do God’s will, if we don’t take the time to meditate on His word?
Then once we start obeying the word of God, we now have to look for opportunities to share the word of God with others according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Many of us have different gifts that the Father has bestowed on us. Some may be able to speak God’s word; some may be able to sing God’s word; some may be able to write God’s word; and some may just share God’s word by their daily character display, which I believe is the most important of them all. Anyone can preach & teach or sing or even write! But how we live publicly & privately is another story.
Ultimately, we have to be obedient & do whatever God calls us to do – not what we want to do.
Now, the word “hearer” in this verse literally means – to listen or to understand. It also means to consider what has been said. So the point is…it’s not good enough just to listen to the word of God or even understand Jesus Christ as savior!
If action isn’t taken towards obeying the word of God after considering what has been said in regards to the salvation of Jesus Christ, then this is an act of rejection that God will NEVER forgive, unless you repent for your sins now before leaving this earth!
And for the proclaiming Christian; understanding God’s word is not enough! If we understand it, then we must take action towards applying it. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have our issues or challenges…No! It simply means that when we seek to make do of the opportunities we have as children of God, the Holy Spirit will guide us through as long as we sincerely seek to be obedient. Therefore, listening to God’s word exclusively (only) is not enough. We have to acquire salvation in Christ & then obey the commands of God.
Finally, “deceiving your own selves” means – to reckon wrong, to cheat by false reasoning, & to pass to one’s account. What does “pass to one’s account” mean? It means – when we delude ourselves by not being “doers” of the word, we are passing nothing to our spiritual account.
Look at it this way, the more you take out of your bank account without putting anything into it, eventually, your bank account will pass you by because there is nothing in there. Our spiritual walk works the same way! If we don’t receive God’s word & apply the truth that has been taught, then we are passing nothing to our spiritual account.
Therefore, delusion becomes reality when that sin-debt comes to cash in on what is owed because Jesus Christ was never pass to one’s account to pay that sin- debt in full!
So the bottom line is this – Jesus Christ offers eternal life with the Father in Heaven (free of charge). Following Satan offers eternal misery in HELL (a heavy penalty to pay)! If you are not a “doer” of the word today and/or if you need to recommit yourself to being a “doer” of God’s word, today might be your only chance to seek Jesus as your personal savior. You’ve heard the word of God; now is the time to be a “doer” of the word of God!
God Bless.